Legend of Mana: Era's End
by Tuba Girl Wonder
Summary: The Era's end is nigh. A hero is created. Will he destroy the world? Or bring it to a golden age? This is Vincynt's story...
1. Prolouge and Chapter I

Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Mana, it's story, or any of it's characters.

The Era's End

Prologue

_Nine centuries ago, the Mana Tree burned to ashes. The Power of Mana lived on inside Mana stones, enchanted instruments, and artifacts. Sages fought with each other for control of these last remnants of Mana._

_Then after hundreds of years of war, as the power of Mana began to wane, those who sought it grew scarce, and the world returned to peace._

_After that, mankind grew afraid to desire. Their hearts filled with empty emotions, and grew estranged from my hands. They turned their eyes away from my infinite power, and were troubled by their petty disputes._

_Remember me!_

_Need me! I can provide you with everything!_

_I am love._

_Find me, and walk beside me._

The Goddess of Mana cried. The people of Fa'Diel, her own creations, no longer loved her or sought her. They thought of her as the cause of their petty troubles, and they had turned their backs towards her.

The Mana Tree, the beacon of light which the world had been created from, would be restored by a hero when the Era came to a close. The Era's end was nigh. Whether the world would turn to wickedness and hate or to love and light would depend on the actions of this hero.

Pokeihl, the Bird and Poet who also happened to be one of the Seven Wisdoms of Fa'Diel, sat on a rock where the Mana Tree once stood. He was a very colorful bird with a large, wide brimmed hat on his head. He held a piece of paper and a piece of ash in his feather-covered hands. He was writing a poem of the Mana Goddess's pleas.

After a while he set them down. He looked at the sky and smiled. He then took a mailbox out of his bag. The mailbox was small and easily fit in one of his hands. It looked like a white house with a red roof, a bell, and wings. It buzzed with the power of Mana.

"I hope our creation will suffice, Goddess." He said. He then said a simple spell before throwing it at the sky.

Instead of falling back to the ground, the mailbox seemed to take flight, and soon it was lost in the sunset.

Back on the ground, Pokiehl tipped his hat to the out-of-sight artifact.

"Good luck, hero."

Chapter I

Home

Vincynt opened his eyes for the first time. He wasn't entirely sure how he knew his name; he just knew it was Vincynt. He was lying down on a bed. _How did I get here?_ He thought. He looked around. The room he was in was simple. It had a chair, a table, a cactus in a pot in the corner, and a bench underneath a window which had sunlight flowing freely from it. He heard birds coming from outside, though he wasn't quite sure what a bird was. He quickly got up and looked in the mirror next to his bed. He yelled and fell on the ground when he saw someone looking back at him. He hit his head on a chair and was knocked unconscious.

"Master?" said a small, high pitched voice. Vincynt groggily started to open his eyes. He saw something green and pink looking down on him. His vision was still blurry.

"Who're you..?" someone asked. _Who is talking? _He asked himself.

"Master! You gotta get up! Why are you on the floor?" asked the same high pitched voice. Vincynt's vision cleared. The cactus that had been in the corner of the room was looking down at him with a worried face.

"What…?" the other voice asked sleepily. Vincynt realized with a start that it was him speaking. He sat up and quickly got a case of vertigo. He dizzily laid down once more. "Where am I?" he asked once the room stopped spinning. The cactus smiled.

"You're home, Master. Go to your bed and rest, now."

A few weeks later, Vincynt was still getting accustomed to being. He slowly began exploring his house in the first week, and in the second week even ventured outside. He saw that his house consisted of two floors which had his room, a dining and sitting room, and a study. His house was built on the roots of a large tree, so animals were all over.

Outside there was a path leading into the forest that surrounded his house. There was a small corral on one side of the house with no animals. Vincynt found that he liked being outside, so he spent most of his days there.

Soon, Vincynt was able to recognize himself in the mirror which had frightened him so bad that first day. He was a tall, young man with curly golden hair and big, light green eyes. He estimated that he was about seventeen.

One day he found a sword in the study. Once when he was outside, he took it out of its scabbard. He found that he knew exactly how to use it. He then began practicing with it everyday.

Soon, life became normal, and Vincynt found that he was becoming good at this existing thing.

Vincynt woke, dressed himself in simple clothes, and washed his face. He grabbed his sword and stepped outside. It was a bright morning and the sun was shining brightly. He smiled and walked out on his front lawn.

He then noticed a little fellow walking up his path. Since the cactus, which he had named Li'l Cactus, had told him that there were other places and people out in the world beyond his home, he was only a little frightened by this stranger. It stood only two feet from the ground, and it was made entirely out of leaves. It had a very childish face, and it beamed when it saw Vincynt. It ran up to him.

"I'm a Sproutling!" it said when it reached Vincynt.

"Umm…Nice to meet you." Vincynt said quietly. The Sproutling still had a look of joy on it's face.

"The world can be shaped by your imagination! Did you know that?" _What an odd creature! _thought Vincynt.

"I'm not sure what you mean…I…guess?" The Sproutling squealed in delight at his answer. Then it promptly looked inside it's bag and gave Vincynt some colored blocks.

"This," it began "is the town of Domina." Vincynt looked at the blocks in his hand.

"I-I don't understand. I've heard of towns; they're supposed to be big. How can this be a town?" The Sproutling just smiled.

"Just use your imagination!" It said. The little creature then turned around and sat on his lawn. Vincynt was very puzzled. He put the blocks in his side satchel and went to practice using his sword.

When the tree he used for practicing his sword techniques on was threatening to fall down and sweat was rolling down his back, he called it a day.

The sproutling remained in his yard for the entirety of the day. He tried on several occasions to talk to the little guy, but it would merely smile at him.

When sunset was drawing to a close and darkness was creeping along the lines of the horizon, Vincynt went inside. He sat at his table and sharpened his sword with a whetting stone until it gleamed with sharpness. He sat it aside and was about to get himself something to eat when he felt power coming from his side satchel. He reached inside it and found that the source of the power was the colored blocks the sproutling had given him.

"How can this be a town..?" he scoffed. His answer came suddenly, for when he held the blocks in his hand he saw just that; a town. It was a simple town where every roof was thatched; people milled and conversed with one another, two performers entertained near a fountain, and a mail pelican walked about in the outskirts. It teemed with simplicity, but happiness and calmness.

Vincynt came back to his sense as suddenly as it happened. He found himself on the floor sweating and shaking like he had just run a few miles sprinting. He slowly sat up. He looked at the blocks now on the floor. They still buzzed with energy, but not quite as strongly. He looked around. No one was there to see him collapse.

"What…just happened?" He asked himself, expecting no one to answer. He jumped in complete shock when someone did.

"That is Domina. What you just saw." said a deep voice behind him. He grabbed his newly sharpened sword and wheeled around. Standing inside the door was the brightly colored bird he has been seeing in his reoccurring dreams.

"Who're you?" Vincynt asked, keeping a firm grip on his sword. The tall bird laughed.

"I mean you no harm, young human. My name is Pokiehl. I am a Wisdom. I'm here to help you start your quest." Vincynt was still a little skeptic, but he lowered his sword.

"My quest…?" Vincynt inquired. Pokiehl shook his head.

"Nay. I cannot tell you about your quest. That is for you to find out. I am merely here to help you start it." Pokiehl walked into the center of the room. He continued to look at him.

"You may walk any direction from this house, it matters not. You will come to a stone. You will know what to do when you come to that stone. I wish you the best of luck." He then tipped his large hat and, with a ripple of power, he vanished. Vincynt tried to stop him.

"Wait! I don't understand! Come back!" But he was already gone.

After a moment of frustration a shock, he went upstairs to get ready for bed, all appetite gone. Li'l cactus was still awake.

"Hello, master!" he chirped happily. After all the weirdness that happened that day, he found comfort that the small plant was still the same.

"Hello, Li'l cactus. Crazy day today." The cactus quivered in excitement and folded its arms underneath it's head, showing that it was clearly listening. Vincynt chuckled and told the cactus all about the day, putting a lot of detail on the sproutling, the blocks that happened to be a town, and the strange visitor.

"So, tomorrow, I'll walk down my path into the forest and just keep going. Maybe I will run into that rock. If not, I'll come back and forget what happened today." With that said, Vincynt changed into his night clothes, crawled into his bed, and listened to the night sounds.

"Goodnight, Master." said Li'l cactus quietly from across the room.

"'Night." It was not long before Vincynt drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

When dawn broke over Fa'Diel, Vincynt awoke. After stretching and washing his face, he put his sword in a simple scabbard, then on a simple belt. He put on comfortable traveling clothes and his red hat which kept his thick hair out of his eyes. He grabbed his satchel and grabbed a small blanket and some rope to put in it, because though Vincynt didn't know much about the world he figured that rope was a good thing to bring. He also put the colored blocks in the satchel. Satisfied that he had mostly what he needed from his room, he went to walk downstairs.

"I'll miss you, Master." said a quiet, small voice from behind him. Vincynt turned around.

"I'll be back before you know it. I bet I'll also have quite the story to tell too." The little cactus smiled before promptly falling back to sleep.

When he went downstairs, Vincynt gathered some non-perishable foods and a few small containers of fresh water. He then looked around his home one more time and decided that he should take some money. He took a few coins out of the bowl by the fireplace, which contained 100 coins of the currency called Lucre. Or, at least, that's what the cactus called it. Vincynt wasn't so sure, but he trusted Li'l cactus, so he pocketed it and left his home.

The morning air was nice and warm and the sun was bright. Vincynt was not surprised to see the Sproutling still walking around on his front lawn. It merely smiled when Vincynt walked past it. At the end of the path, Vincynt stopped to calm his nerves, took a deep breath, blew it out through his mouth, and walked into the world outside of his safe home.


	2. Chapter II: Niccolo's Business Unusual

**I have never been the best with updating. :P I still do not own Legend of Mana or any of its stuff.**

Chapter II

Niccolo's Business Unusual

_These are nice woods. _Vincynt thought. There were trees everywhere, though none quite as big as the one his house was built into. Animals of all kinds wandered about, but none bothered him.

Vincynt had hopped a couple of creeks, jumped over some roots, and stopped to rest only once. The whole trip lasted until around sun high. He then came across a large meadow. Nothing was in it but grass and flowers of all kinds. Trees lined the circumference of it. Vincynt was about to walk into it but was stopped when he stepped on a rock. He stepped back to examine it.

It was a long, flat rock with nothing but a little indentation in the middle of it. Vincynt looked at it for a few moments before taking the colored blocks out of his bag.

"I must be crazy…" He muttered to himself. He then placed the blocks in the little dent. Nothing happened. Vincynt sighed. "I am crazy…"

Suddenly the blocks sank into the rock. The whole meadow filled with a brilliant light. Weird sounds started to come from the middle, which started off as a whisper but then slowly became louder and louder. Vincynt stood up and started to back away. When the noise became deafening and the light blinding he unsheathed his sword and ran behind the cover of the nearest tree. Soon he heard an explosion, and then all became silent for a moment. Vincynt's heart was like a hammer in his chest.

Then he heard more sounds. _There's people there! What if they're hurt? _He thought. All fear gone, he ran from his cover. What he saw shocked him.

It was a town, exactly like the one he had seen when he held the blocks the previous night. There were the little houses with thatched roofs, and the sounds were not scared or hurt, but happy. The rock was still there, but now a path into town led from it. When the path reached the town there was a sign. It read: Domina.

Vincynt was completely awestruck by it. Not a moment ago had this all been a meadow! He didn't know if there was still a threat, so he kept his sword unsheathed. He grabbed his bag and walked along the path into Domina.

He had only been walking a moment when he came across his first other people. They were both standing at the door of a pub. One was very short with a blue shirt and what looked like an orange onion on his head. The other was only a little taller than Vincynt himself with black hair, brown hat and cloak, and blue pants and boots. They seemed to be displeased about something. The tall one had his back to the short one.

"Hey!" said the short one. The tall one turned around. "At least give me your name!" The tall one remained silent for a moment before answering.

"…Elazul." He replied. He then turned around once more and walked into the pub. The short one was fuming.

"Geeze! He makes me sick!" he spat in his high voice. He turned around and was about to walk away when he saw Vincynt. He walked up to him. He smiled. "You'd best put your sword away, boy. You don't want anyone thinking that you're trouble." Vincynt did not realize he even had it out. He muttered a quick apology and quickly put it in its sheath. The short person smiled.

"I am Duelle, Onion Warrior! My friend Teapo is in the shop keeper's house. Meet me there if you want to talk." Vincynt nodded. Since he had no idea what was happening, he decided that talking with someone would be best. He was about to follow Duelle when he felt a sharp poke on his back. He put a hand on the hilt of his sword and turned around.

"Out of the way, please. It's polite to share." said a very large brown rabbit. He had a large sack on his back and a green poncho. His face portrayed calmness, but his voice said that he was annoyed. Vincynt then realized that he was in the way of this weird person.

"Oh…Sorry…" Vincynt muttered as he got out of the way. The large rabbit nodded and went on about his business. Vincynt thought about the weird creatures he has been seeing, and the strangeness of even being around others and not just himself. _I should really talk with Duelle. _Thought Vincynt. He turned, walked across the street and into the house where the onion warrior had gone before.

Inside was a cozy little place filled with knickknacks where Duelle and a friend were sitting. His friend looked like a dove at first glance, but upon further investigation he saw that it resembled both a dove and a teapot. It had a handle, a round bottom, and a lid which also served as a mouth for the creature.

"Oh, hello!" said Duelle. "I was just telling Teapo here about you." The teapot dove nodded. The onion warrior stood up and walked over to Vincynt. He studied him closely.

"An adventurer, eh?"

"Umm…I guess." Vincynt replied weakly. Duelle nodded.

"Yes. Well, you should at least get some bronze gloves at the shop next door. There's some dangerous creatures out there that'll kill you dead. So…what is your quest anyway?" he asked. Vincynt thought for a moment.

"I'm…not sure." Vincynt replied meekly. The answer shocked Duelle and Teapo, who looked at each other and laughed.

"Well! I like you, boy! Just winging it! Come sit with us!"

"Have some tea!" exclaimed Teapo. Vincynt smiled and sat down in a chair across from the couch. Teapo handed him a cup of tea. He took it thankfully. While he drank, the tea warmed his chest and belly. He calmed down, and he felt the world become a little less scary.

"So," started Teapo. "there was this scary bloke 'ere just now. He said 'Have you seen my lost girl friend?' and I said 'No, I haven't. Honest, guv!' But then he said I woz lyin' and 'e started threatenin' me." Duelle shook his head, still remembering the confrontation he had with the same person. Vincynt listened intently. "Maybe he wos a stalker. Blimey!" She fanned herself with her wing.

Vincynt stayed there for another hour listening to the two talk about this and that, who's doing what, and the happenings in the small town. He took his leave at a silence, saying that he needed to stop in the store. After Duelle said to stop by anytime and being offered a few more biscuits by Teapo, Vincynt said goodbye and left.

A half hour later, Vincynt found himself walking around a market in the northern part of the town. He had bought himself some gloves at the weapon store from an intimidating man, who, surprisingly, was very willing to help him out.

There were a few stand selling bushels of this and bottles of that. There was even a fortune teller who sat in a bowl of fruit and gave people an insight to their future for a small fee. There were only a few people walking around.

Among those few was the large rabbit that had been rude to him. He was muttering to himself. Vincynt walked nearer and caught some of what he was saying.

"No, no…that won't work. Those meddlesome bandits. I need someone strong to drive them off. I need…" The rabbit stopped his pacing and muttering when he caught sight of the sword on Vincynt's hip. He moved his eyes up to meet Vincynt's eyes. "You…" he said thoughtfully. Then he narrowed his eyes and grinned from ear to floppy ear. He hopped over. Vincynt was quite frightened by this strange creature. "My name's Niccolo. I'm a traveling merchant." He said with energy. Then his ears drooped. "I would be out doing business now…But, you see, the highway is full of bandits. It's too dangerous to leave town. Don't you think so?" Vincynt shook his head.

"No. I'm not afraid." Niccolo hopped in one place and the grin reappeared on his face.

"How brave of you. Wonderful! I can't do business with those highway men about! Let's go teach those bandits a lesson. Once we're done, I'll make you rich." Vincynt was surprised that he was going to be paid. He needed it too, because he had spent all his Lucre on equipment. He nodded.

"You're quite the mercenary! I like people who know the value of money." Niccolo said. Vincynt was growing to not like this miserly rabbit with each passing moment. "I still need to stop and see Teapo. Come with me." Vincynt nodded and followed Niccolo to Teapo's house.

"Why, it's Niccolo! 'Allo, guv! How 'ave you been?" Teapo said excitedly when Niccolo and Vincynt entered the house. "You have the young adventurer, too! So, have you anything good for me today?" Niccolo put on his best salesman grin.

"Actually, I have a splendid item today, but I just can't let it go."

"Oi, Niccolo, yore just tryin' to rile me up!" Teapo exclaimed. Duelle shook his head.

"It's just junk, anyway." Niccolo's grin snapped off his face and was replaced by a glare that was shot at the Onion Warrior.

"Quiet, Onion." He said icily. He then took off his bag and pulled out a large, broken wheel. "This is it. It's a wheel I picked up on the highway." Teapo hopped over and examined it closely.

"Hmmm…It looks like a regular ol' wheel to me…" Niccolo looked hurt, but Vincynt guessed that this was just a ploy.

"Fine. I'm going. You're right. This is just an old wheel. Nothing special." Niccolo said dejectedly. Vincynt, happy to be going, took a step towards the door.

"'Ang on then, guv!" Teapo said as she pointed at the rabbit. "Even I can tell it ain't no regular wheel. I'll take it!" Niccolo grinned once more. Then came the question that Vincynt was afraid for. "How much do you want for it?"

"50,000 Lucre." Niccolo calmly said as if he were talking about the weather. Everyone else's jaw dropped.

"Niccolo, you're a wee too proud for yore own good. Nothing costs that much. S'truth!" Niccolo just shook his head.

"Bring me 50,000 Lucre. Until then…" He looked around. Much to Vincynt's dismay, he eyes fell on him. "I'll let Vincynt use it." The old, dusty wheel was thrust into his hands.

"What am I…?" Vincynt said. He then felt the same power that had come off the blocks come off the wheel. He closed his eyes and saw a dirt road. Along the road were withered plants. He also heard the sound of wind rustling through the trees. There were some bear creatures in green cloaks that were terrorizing some poor traveler. _Bandits. _Vincynt thought.

Vincynt opened his eyes. Niccolo and Teapo were still arguing. Duelle was interested in the wooden planks that made the floor above them, studying them carefully. Vincynt, sweating slightly, was thankful that no one saw him. He knew that this wheel was just like the colored blocks; an artifact.

"Niccolo, you're the bleedin' worst!" Teapo exclaimed. Vincynt was brought back to his senses. "I'll cop the money, so please, let me 'ave it!" she sputtered. Niccolo seemed unfazed by her words and merely had a smile on his face.

"I'll be back." He said as he turned to the door.

"Bloody 'eartless!" Teapo spat. Niccolo walked out the door. Vincynt looked at the kind people who had helped him before.

"I'm sorry…" he said. Duelle smiled.

"It's okay, Chumpy. You're welcome here anytime." _Chumpy...?_ thought Vincynt. He shook the thought out of his head.

"See you later." He waved then left the house. He quickly caught up with Niccolo, who was waiting at the gate of the town.

The trip west with Niccolo was fairly uneventful. Again, no animals bothered him. They made great time and covered half a day's walk by sunset. When Vincynt saw a rock similar to the one on which he had placed the blocks on he feigned fatigue and said that it was time to stop. Niccolo agreed. Vincynt went to collect firewood while Niccolo set up camp.

When Vincynt returned he saw that Niccolo stayed true to his job and had set up the camp nicely. However, in front of him lay a variety of objects, which Niccolo sat behind on a woven blanket. Vincynt placed the firewood in a pile and started a small fire. Niccolo remained seated. Vincynt gestured to the items.

"What's all this?" he inquired. Niccolo grinned.

"Only some items I thought that you would be interested in." There were five items in all; a medallion, an unlit torch, a small dagger, a light blue jewel about the size of a fist, and a pair of worn, leather gloves. Niccolo beckoned for him to sit down. He did.

"All five of these items can be yours for a mere price of 120,572 Lucre." Vincynt was confused, but also shocked at the price. He barely had one Lucre to his name!

"I don't have nearly enough." Vincynt stated. "And even if I did, why would I want those things?" he added. Niccolo picked up the large aquamarine. It looked very smooth, and it shined in the light from the fire. Though Vincynt should have been warm because of the flames near him, he felt cold and mournful looking at the large gem.

"I can't even interest you in this power gem?" Niccolo asked. He shook his head.

"Especially not that." Vincynt said quickly. The rabbit shrugged.

"Suit yourself. Good night." He said. He put the objects in his bag, put a blanket over himself, and was snoring almost instantly. Vincynt followed suit and settled himself down on the other side of the fire. He placed his sword at an easy to reach distance in case he needed it during the night. He used his hat as a pillow and he, too, quickly fell asleep.

Vincynt woke up at dawn, as he was accustomed to. He stretched and stood up. Niccolo was still snoring on the other side of the fire pit, which had gone out sometime during the night. He took this opportunity to place the artifact. He took the wheel from his things and walked over to the rock. There was a field following the stone, just like with Domina, only there were no flowers and was very dusty.

Vincynt, preparing himself for another odd experience, placed the wheel on the rock. It took a second to sink in the rock like the blocks had, but soon it did. Almost immediately there was a blinding flash and trees sprouted from the ground. The trees on the other side of the field seemed to fly backwards until they were out of sight. A piece of ground, twenty feet across, seemed to flatten down then stretch until the end also seemed out of sight.

As quick as it started it was over. Before Vincynt stretched a long, dusty road for as long as he could see. Nearly dead shrubs lined the road, and withered trees could be seen occasionally. It was impressive.

"Here we are!" Niccolo said happily behind him. Vincynt cast his eyes behind him to see the rabbit walking towards him, his things all packed and stored on his back. He carried Vincynt's things in his hand, which he tossed to him. Vincynt caught it and slung it over his shoulder. "Luon Highway. I've packed up camp. Now, shall we teach those bandits a lesson?" The rabbit passed him. Vincynt followed.

The first ambush by the bandits came as a complete surprise. The two had been walking when they heard a voice coming from very close behind them.

"Don't move, or I'll shoot this arrow into your big head, travelers." said a very squeaky voice. Despite the warning, Vincynt wheeled around to come face to face with a strung arrow held by a mouse in a green cloak. Vincynt saw that Niccolo also had a mouse threatening him with a bow. Though they only stood a few feet off of the ground, they were still menacing. Vincynt stared straight down the arrow to the little creature holding the bow. "I'm Chiro, the Chobin Hood. Hand over da cash."

"Tell us where your master is, and we won't make you suffer when we kill you." replied Niccolo. Chiro and his friend aimed their bows at him.

"What did you say?" screeched the other Chobin Hood. "We have the weapons, not you! We'll never tell you where the big Mantis is!" Niccolo shrugged.

"Death it is." Then, with amazing speed and agility, Niccolo punched the closest Chobin Hood in the face. It fell backwards, out cold. Vincynt quickly unsheathed his sword while Chiro stared at his unconscious friend. He slid his sword between the bow and the string, tore it out his paws, and tossed it to the side. Before the creature could react, Vincynt brought the hilt of his sword down on his head. His body crumpled and fell, and Vincynt wasn't sure whether he had killed him or merely knocked him unconscious like his friend.

"Well done." said Niccolo. The rabbit then kneeled down and began looking through his unconscious opponent's belongings.

"What are you doing..?" asked Vincynt. Niccolo didn't look up from his task.

"Collecting spoils. You do the same." Niccolo beamed when he found a small pouch of Lucre. _Take something that's not mine?_ Vincynt thought. He looked down on the crumpled figure. Blood was oozing from where the hilt had struck him. His chest was motionless. He was dead. Vincynt felt sick. He couldn't bring himself to take the creature's belongings, even though he wouldn't need them anymore. He picked up the Chobin Hood and carried him to the bushes on the side of the road. He gently put him down.

A second later, much to Vincynt's surprise, his little body started to fade away, and what looked like a wisp floated off into the distance. Strangely, Vincynt felt calm after this experience. He stood up and walked back onto the road.

"A compassionate hero, eh? That's fine. Put this poor soul with him." Niccolo said. He then began counting the lucre he had found. "Only thirty…" he muttered. Vincynt walked over, picked up the other creature, and put him where his partner lay before. He was still alive. Vincynt wondered how the creature was going to respond when he found out that his friend was dead. "Right!" Niccolo said cheerily. "Let's move along." They started walking down the road once more.

Twenty minutes later they were ambushed once more, but Vincynt was prepared for it. They were first attacked by large feral rabbits, which, though small, gave Vincynt's calf a good bite which bled for awhile. The team quickly dispatched the critters before three Chobin Hoods jumped out of the growth lining the sides of the road.

"Hand over da cash…" One managed to say before Niccolo punched it in the gut. While it was doubled over he knocked it out with a swift blow to the head. Vincynt ran over and hit another one with the hilt of his sword, though not as hard as he did with Chiro. It fell beside its partner. The third opponent had run into the bushes almost right when the fight began. Again, Niccolo began taking the things of value off of the unconscious bodies, and when he was done Vincynt carried them to the side.

"You're showing them a kindness they don't deserve." said a female voice. Vincynt and Niccolo turned around. A cat woman wearing blue clothes was walking towards them. Vincynt put a hand on the hilt of his sword. The cat woman shrugged and raised her hands a small distance in the air. "I'm only saying that they've hurt a lot of people, young traveler." She walked over to them with such grace one might mistake it for dance. "I'm Daena, and I come from Gato. You can relax. I'm not going to hurt you." she said. Vincynt skeptically looked at her for a brief moment before taking his hands off of his sword. Daena smiled. "Did you guys come to see one of the Seven Wisdoms?"

"Wow!" Niccolo exclaimed. Vincynt glanced over to see the rabbit drooling over this new person. "What cute ears!" Daena flattened her ears in annoyance. Her eyes looked murderous. "We were meant to be together!"

"Excuse me. I wasn't talking to you." she growled. Niccolo frowned. He looked honestly hurt.

"Umm…Where is Gato?" Vincynt asked to stop her from clawing his hears off. She looked back at him and seemed to have forgotten that Niccolo was there.

"I come from Gato Grottos. There is an ancient temple there that is very famous. However, I am here to speak with one of the Wisdoms. Gaeus the Earth is what he is called, and he should be near here. But I feel as though I shouldn't ask him the truth…" She drifted off into her own world. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. "I'm going back to Domina. Meet me there if you want to talk more, traveler." She turned around and walked away.

"Women." Niccolo said once she was out of earshot.

They flipped a coin to see what direction they would take at a fork in the road, and ended taking the lower path. For their mission, they chose correct. They only had to walk a small distance before they reached a dead end with a line of Chobin Hoods blocking their way.

"Hey hey HEY!" said the centermost one. "Hand over da cash! Cash cash CASH!" Niccolo crossed his arms and shook his head.

"These guys are mad for money. I can't stand them." While Vincynt was pondering the irony of this statement, Niccolo tossed something at them. "Here. Take this instead." A piece of candy fell to the ground. The creatures looked at it, and then became enraged.

"Grrrr….Oh yeah? Oh YEAH! Master! Come thrash this punk!" They all ran into the bushes. Then a shadow was cast over them as the largest bug Vincynt had ever seen flew over them. It landed in front of them and the ground seemed to shake under its weight. It looked like a beetle with arms like a praying mantis, which looked deadly sharp. The Mantis began advancing towards them. Vincynt readied his sword.

"I'll take the right side." He said to Niccolo.

"Sounds like a plan." Niccolo responded. Simultaneously, they charged it.

The Mantis slashed its deadly arm, which missed Vincynt's leg by what seemed like an inch. Niccolo had jumped to avoid an attack directed at him and landed on its left side. Vincynt dodged another attack by its other arm and ended up on its right side as planned. He raised his sword and tried to run it through one of the Mantis's legs, though he was not able to puncture the heavy armor that covered most of its body. The Mantis turned around and gave a hard kick to Vincynt's stomach. He flew back a few feet and landed on his back. He quickly recovered and saw that Niccolo was having no more luck than he was. It wasn't long in the slightest before the rabbit was flat on his back too. Niccolo rolled out of the way of more attacks that had every intention of impaling him. Vincynt sprinted and leaped onto its back. He held tight to its armor as it tried to buck him off. Vincynt stayed firmly attached, but his sword went flying across the road.

"Niccolo! Grab my sword!" he yelled. Niccolo nodded and ran to retrieve it while Vincynt held on for dear life. The Mantis clicked its jaws angrily. It stopped running around and trying to throw him off. It reached its scythe-like arm behind its back and would have cut Vincynt in half if he had not let go of one side and rolled out of the way.

Niccolo hopped towards him, with Vincynt's sword in one hand.

"Catch!" he yelled before tossing Vincynt his sword. He looked up just in time to catch it safely one handed. He waited for the Mantis to stop moving before he stood up and plunged his sword into the Mantis's head.

The Mantis let out a horrible high pitched wail. It jerked violently, throwing Vincynt a good distance and knocking the wind out of him. Soon the Mantis fell to the ground, dead, while its body burned due to the left over magic in it.

Niccolo walked over to Vincynt and extended a hand to help him up.

"Wonderful. I knew you could do it." Vincynt grunted in response and took his hand. He got to his feet and dusted himself off. The pair were unhurt save for a few bruises. "Thank you. You really are something else. Those bandits should never bother anyone again. I'll make you rich! Just a moment." He walked to where he had tossed his belongings before the fight had started. He sorted through it and came back holding five things. "An iron pot," he placed that into Vincynt's hands. "A greenball bun, and a tako bug." He placed those two items into his hands as well. "Normally costing 3,000 Lucre, it can be yours for only 300!" _Oh no...More money business…_Vincynt thought. He reached into his pocket and took out all the coins he had.He placed them in Niccolo's hand. Niccolo smirked. "You're joking, right?" He laughed. He shook his hand. "Come on, hand the rest over." Vincynt gave him a confused look. "The extra 260 Lucre? This is only forty!" Vincynt shook his head.

"That's all I have." He said quietly. Niccolo looked shocked.

"What? You don't have 300 lucre? Not even you? Pull out your pockets!" Vincynt did as he said. Niccolo looked even more confused and stunned.

"You don't have enough…" He grimaced. "But that's alright. This is a special, one-time only offer. Now only costing forty lucre!" He pocketed the small amount of coins he had in his hand. "Oh, and these things have been rattling around in my things for ages. You can just have them. He then placed the medallion in his hands and the unlit lantern which he had seen last night by his feet.

Instantly he saw a vision of a dense, green jungle. He felt the presence of many monsters lurking around, and the rain dripping off his face. He heard the terrifying roar of some huge creature very close by.

"What are you frowning at?" Vincynt snapped back to reality. He was dry, and nothing was near him except Niccolo, who was uncomfortably close and in his face. "Smile!" Niccolo grinned. "Let the world know you're happy! After all, I am a merchant. I want to make my customers happy." He backed off a little. "I enjoy life, and you should, too. And this is where we part." He shouldered his large bag. "Well, adios!" Niccolo started to walk away. He almost walked to the end of the clearing before turning around. "Smile!" he ordered before running away into the bushes, leaving Vincynt with nothing to do but head back to Domina.


End file.
